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Wes Madis of North Richland Hills cheers on the Brahmas during a CHL game against the Allen Americans at NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills. Madis is a Dallas Stars season ticket holder.

In his Stars gear, Ryan Jordan of North Richland Hills (left) stands at attention as the national anthem is played before a Fort Worth Brahmas and Allen Americans CHL game at NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills.

Ryan Jordan of North Richland Hills, waits for the start of the Fort Worth Brahmas and Allen Americans CHL game at NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills. Jordan said that he bought tickets to a possible Dallas Stars playoff run for the 2011-2012 season but rolled them over to regular season tickets for the 2012-2013 season after they missed the playoffs. He now plans to get a refund.

As the National Hockey League lockout stretches on with no games possible until at least Jan. 14, some frustrated Dallas Stars fans are looking elsewhere to get their hockey fix.

In the three years Brian McGhee, 20, has been a student at Texas A&M, he’s always spent his holiday break watching hockey back home in Frisco.

He grew up watching the 1999 Stanley Cup-winning team, has gone to the team’s traditional New Year’s Eve game and usually buys his dad tickets for Christmas.

But not this year.

“It’s especially disappointing for a fan in Dallas because we have a smaller fan base,” said McGhee. “And the fans are what make the NHL possible.”

He thought flipping on the NHL Network might help ease the withdrawal, but a special about former Stars player Mike Modano was on.

“That made me really miss watching the team play.”

Because of a dispute over a collective bargaining agreement, National Hockey League owners locked out their players in September. Now, more than 100 days later, there’s no end in sight — though owners and the players are scheduled to meet on Monday. More than half the season’s games have been canceled.

But hockey fans may be getting used to this. It’s the fourth lockout since the 1991-92 season.

Jason Smith, 37, a self-proclaimed passionate hockey fan, said he adopted the Stars as his team after moving to Grand Prairie from Alabama in 2010.

Smith went ahead and bought season tickets for his third Texas hockey season, knowing that the lockout was probably going to happen but hoping the season would only be delayed.

It hasn’t turned out that way.

“It seems to have taken a hugely downward spiral,” he said. “I really hate that it’s still not happening.”

So in lieu of the Stars New Year’s Eve game he would have attended, Smith will be in Fort Worth, watching the minor league hockey Brahmas play instead.

“It gives us something to do and at least enjoy hockey on a smaller scale,” he said.

By the numbers, the Brahmas haven’t seen a jump in attendance, said Josh Tannenbaum, the team’s director of communications.

“But there have been a lot more Dallas Stars jerseys in the crowd,” he said, especially people in Tarrant County who no longer have to make the trip 45 minutes to Dallas to see a game.

The fact that the Brahmas are playing on a big hockey night like New Year’s Eve, Tannenbaum said, should help boost numbers.

For retailers of Stars jerseys and fan gear, the lockout has been a sore subject.

Shane Prevratil, store manager at StarStuff in Frisco, would not comment. The store is right next to the StarCenter at Dr Pepper Arena, where the team would practice.

An employee at the Dallas Stars Fan Shop inside the American Airlines Center also declined to comment. Workers at AAC could be losing up to 41 workdays if the lockout doesn’t end for the remainder of the season.

But frustrated fans can’t stop talking.

On Dec. 20, Smith called the Stars’ ticket office. “I finally said ‘enough is enough.’ It’s time to show the NHL I’d had enough by getting a refund.”

He also sent a tweet: “Bad move @dallasstars. Calls to ticket hotline going straight to voicemail. Every day without callback = less chance I support after lockout.”

But Smith, of Grand Prairie, is worried about what the league has done for their growing fan base.

“They’ve killed the momentum again,” he said, alluding to the past lockouts. “Not only are they losing out on abundance of new fans, they’re losing out on the old fans as well.

“It’s going to be some very dark days ahead even if they do reach a resolution. We’re not going to necessarily come crawling back.”